The Flight of the Dragon
by chanchi76
Summary: Tatsumara Unohana was the 10th Division Captain 100 years ago. But she was executed by the Sokyoku for becoming traitorous. Follow her footsteps back through the Soul Society and understand why her memories were kept secret. 0 relationships, 1 OC.
1. Tatsumara Unohana

The companion story is the oneshot: A Shattered Dream, it's from Retsu's POV when she first entered the Soul Society.

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**The Flight of the Dragon**

Section One-

"_All Captains and Assistant Captains report to the Sokyoku Grounds for the execution of Tatsumara Unohana. Repeat, all Captains and Assistant Captains report to the Sokyoku grounds."_ The announcement rang over the large Seireitei. Many of the shinigami that were wandering around looked up and listened to the announcement silently.

It was heard excessively loud by a group of figures walking across a bridge from the Shrine of Penitence. All of the figures were clothed in white. In the center was a young woman. She was tall, her black hair tied in a bun on top of her head. She wore nothing but white robes and a red collar that had ropes attached to all sides, binding her in place.

Her head was lowered in defeat, but her dark blue eyes glittered with anger and stubbornness. Her hands were tied behind her back, denying her the chance of escaping or using kido to attack.

'_Is this how it ends?'_

The group walked down towards the execution ground. The woman looked up; she could see the Sokyoku quite clearly from where she was standing. A sharp blade shining beautifully in the afternoon light. It was a cruel joke.

'_All that training…for this?'_

Memories started flashing through her mind as she walked. It was so long ago…when she first became a shinigami…joined the ranks of the 13 court guard companies. Her friends that she made in the Academy…there were only two left…the only two that decided to stay by her side no matter what…

Section two-

'_I grew up in the Unohana household, believing that the healing arts were the only place that was honorable…the only place where we of the Unohana lineage could go with pride. I entered the Shinigami Academy with General Yamamoto as my teacher.'_

A girl with long black hair walked down the halls of the Academy. She was wearing the normal attire for the students at the Academy, a red _Hakama_ (reserved only for girls), and a white _kosode_ on the top with the symbol of the Academy in red in the front. Her hair was tied up in two average sized ponytails, common for the girls in the Academy.

_'Back then I believed that attacking was cowardly and stupid. My family believed that too. They kept pushing me to do better in healing; I was the eldest child in the family so it was natural to set a good example.'_

"Hey, Unohana! Come on! You're late!" a boy with curly brown hair (very close to being shoulder length), a small indication of a beard on his face, waved at her.

"Coming!" she rushed forward towards the departing group.

_'This was me. This was how I used to be before I started defying the traditions of my family. I wasn't very aware of my surroundings, all I did was train and train some more to pass all of the exams.'_

She ran up to the small group. Only two boys stood back and waited for her to catch up, the boy who had called out to her earlier, and his friend, a frail-looking boy with gray eyes and abnormal white hair.

The white haired boy had a goofy smile on his face…a warm and clueless greeting.

"Good Morning Kyoraku-san, Ukitake-san!" she greeted them with a small bow. With her being part of the healing division, she was definitely lower rank than everyone else since they were part of the offensive division. So being formal just came with the job.

"You're late, Unohana…Maybe we should buy you a watch from the Real World to keep you on time?" Shunsui Kyoraku leaned down to her level.

"Kyoraku! That's not what we're going there for!" Jûshirô Ukitake retorted. Of the small group, he was the most levelheaded of them all, and the intelligent one for that matter.

_'I never figured out why I became friends with Ukitake. Kyoraku and I got along well, but he seemed attached to the sickly boy. I didn't know what he saw in him, but Kyoraku always did what he wanted to anyway. Kyoraku was lazy and informal; Ukitake was hard working, proper, and kind. He always had a large number of people around him._

_But we became his friend; and as it turned out, we were all going to have similar futures in store for us. A gift for having Genryûsai Yamamoto as a teacher.'_

"Aw, Shiro-kun, liven up! Let your spirit free!" the girl giggled, it was amusing to see Kyoraku and his lazy demeanor face off against Ukitake, the direct opposite of his personality.

"Kyoraku, we're going to go to the Real World to practice fighting against Hollows, not to enjoy whatever you and Tatsu-san like to do out there."

_'Ukitake was the voice of all reason; he always had good intuition. But he was also stupidly clueless on other things—women, to name a few. He was clueless on their feelings and relationships. A lot of the girls in the Academy liked him, he just didn't understand much to realize what they wanted when they handed him gifts.'_

"Well, let's get going, can't keep those Hollows waiting," Kyoraku lead the way down the hallway, following the rest of the group that had already started leaving the Academy.

_'I guess I should introduce myself, huh? My name is Tatsumara Unohana, Captain of the 10th Company. I'm sentenced to death by the Sokyoku for…well…that's a different story…_

_The days that I spent in the Academy were interesting, and not that difficult once I left the family. My hobbies include training to wield my zanpaku-tô better, and sitting around with Kyoraku and Ukitake just talking or drinking sake on the roof of the 13th Company building.'_

"Your assignment here is to destroy two Hollows each. Each group should have one who can heal injuries at the very least for safety measures," one of the overseers for the assignment was one of the students in the Academy. General Yamamoto himself was standing behind the top three leaders, observing each of the Academy students as they listened to their instructions.

"Each group will get a map of the area they will patrol while searching for Hollows," paper was handed out to all of the medical students. Tatsu received the paper and adjusted the strap on her supply bag that hung over her shoulder.

"You have six hours to complete your task, good luck to you all!" the whistle was blown and the groups departed. Soon only the group of three was left on the rooftop.

"Where are we?" Ukitake leaned over her shoulder to read the map.

"Pretty far from here. Probably on the roof of some buildings," she re-rolled the map and took off, the other two not far behind.

OoOo

"Wow. Tatsu-chan was right. We are pretty far off from the meeting place," Kyoraku put his hand over his eyes as he scanned the area.

"It's all part of the job," she sat down on the ground.

"Don't lower your guard, Shunsui. Tatsu." Jûshirô looked around. "These are real Hollows."

"Understood."

Section Three-

"Taichou!" a woman with her black hair held up by a barrette landed next to the walking woman. She looked up at the passing group; her eyes were filled with worry behind her small glasses.

"Nanao-chan, please leave," the woman spoke no more. Nanao stood up slowly and watched her captain being led away.

"Taichou!"

A man in a bright pink kimono appeared behind her. He placed a hand on her small shoulder.

"That's enough, Nanao. Your words cannot reach her anymore."

"Kyoraku-taichou," she sniffed. Tears started forming in her eyes. "Taichou!" she started crying; large tears spilled down her face, she lifted her hands to rub them away, but continued to cry.

Tatsumara looked down at the ground, she felt guilty making her subordinate cry like that. Nanao Ise was usually a straight-laced and proper shinigami, nothing made her worry or lose her mind…nothing at all… Yet she could hear the woman crying as she continued walking through the Seireitei.

_'Forgive your Captain, Nanao. She hasn't been very good to you.'_

Section Four**-**

The Hollow roared as Kyoraku did the finishing blow on it. He landed and the monstrous-looking Hollow behind him vanished.

"That makes two for you Kyoraku-san, and one for Ukitake-san," Tatsu said.

"Then there's the two for you, Tatsu-chan," Kyoraku smiled. She looked up and shook her head.

"I'm part of the healing squad, I'm not expected to fight."

"Not to make you feel bad, but your healing skills aren't very pretty," he rubbed his nose.

"Kyoraku!" Ukitake warned.

"It's all right, Ukitake-san. He's right. My healing skills aren't very nice. I can't heal a simple cut without tiring myself out," Tatsu sighed and sat down the ground. "I feel useless. My family doesn't know that I can't heal properly."

"Aw, why don't you just forget about them and fight your own way?" Kyoraku leaned down and looked her. "I didn't follow my family, that's how I ended up here."

Ukitake sighed loudly; he had chosen to come to the Academy, unlike the other two in his group.

"You're adorable, Tatsu-chan," he tugged at one of her cheeks playfully.

"That hurts, Kyoraku-san!" she whined, trying to squirm out of his grip.

_'You might have met my younger sister, Retsu Unohana, Captain of the Fourth Division. She was exactly what the family_ _wanted—a high-ranking Healer in the family, something for them to feel proud of._

_And then there's me—failure at the Healing Kido. Such a failure compared to my younger brother and sisters, but especially to her. When she first entered the Seireitei, I figured that I would hate her, but even I couldn't understand why I should hate her when I'm only envying her skill. At least the Shinigami would have a better chance of surviving a bloody attack with her in the 4th Company than me.'_

"Oi, the next Hollow's yours, Tatsu-chan," Kyoraku turned around and walked back to Ukitake. "Don't worry, we'll help you out if you can't do it yourself."

"You make me sound like I'm weak," she scowled, standing up and unsheathing her katana.

"Well, you've never been in a real fight, so I'm not sure what you're capable of."

"So true," she sighed. She had never had to draw her blade before. Even as she drew it now, it never ceased to amaze her at how beautiful and unspoiled it was.

"Tatsu," Ukitake warned her as a Hollow's familiar roar reached her ears. They all watched and waited as the large monster reached their building.

"It's…so…big," she breathed. The other Hollows that her group dispatched were smaller, but this one was huge, and it was powerful.

"Shinigami!" the Hollow roared, raising its hand and knocking all three aside before they could do anything.

"No!" Tatsu could hear Ukitake shout. She looked up.

Several Hollows were now surrounding them, probably around 10 or 20. They all looked similar.

"Why are there so many?!" Kyoraku shrugged at his friend's question.

"Maybe they think we're beautiful?" he replied.

"That's not funny, Shunsui!" the man bellowed back at him. "Tatsu! Get ready to attack, we'll definitely need your help for this fight!"

"Yeah," she drew back her sword in an attack position. Beside her, Kyoraku did the same.

"Now!"

All three jumped up at and attacked the nearby Hollows. Ukitake struck his down with one stroke and Kyoraku took several before his Hollow was dispelled. But Tatsumara was having trouble as three Hollows surrounded her, making her confused at which one to strike first.

"To your left! Your left! Your left, Tatsu!" Kyoraku called out to her. She whirled around and sliced off the advancing Hollow's hand. The creature roared in pain and used its other arm to slam her to the ground.

She screamed in pain, the attack had left several of her right ribs broken and her left wrist sprained.

Ukitake finished off the Hollow holding her down and they both rushed to her aid.

"Tatsu, you okay?" Ukitake breathed as he lifted her up.

"I feel horrible, but it can be healed," she murmured. She glanced up and let out a cry. "Look out!"

But it was too late. As Ukitake and Kyoraku had been tending to her, the Hollow that Ukitake had abandoned, attacked and slammed both males into a nearby wall, knocking them unconscious.

"JUSHIRO! SHUNSUI!" her scream was lost as the Hollow's roared and prepared to finish the two off.

OoOoO

_I don't remember much of what happened next. All that I'm sure of is that I woke up to daylight in the Soul Society. I wasn't in my Academy uniform anymore. Someone had changed my clothes and healed all of my wounds._

_I had sat up and glanced around and realized with a sinking feeling that I was in my family's household. I could hear people arguing in the next room. What they were arguing about didn't matter, I couldn't understand them anyway._

_Then Kyoraku and Ukitake came into the room._

Section Five-

"Good morning, Tatsu-chan," Kyoraku greeted her as he normally did.

"Good morning, Unohana-san," Ukitake was polite as always.

"Good morning, both of you," Tatsu agreed. "What is everyone arguing about?"

"Yamamoto-sensei is planning to start 13-court guard Divisions in the Soul Society. He just listed the Captains for the 13 Divisions," Ukitake explained.

"Really?" she looked excited and then confused. "Why would we need the Divisions?"

"Yama-jii says that only one division is for healing. For some reason, he liked the Fourth Division to be healing. We still don't know why," Kyoraku sat down next to her.

"The First Division is Yamamoto-sensei's own division, Eleventh Division is the fighting division, and the Twelfth Division is for science and technology," Ukitake explained the rest quickly.

"Guess what Tatsu-chan?!" Kyoraku exclaimed loudly.

"What?" she asked nervously. She already knew that Yamamoto knew that her healing skills weren't good enough, but she still hoped to be placed into Fourth Division to please her parents.

"Jûshirô and I are Captains!" he crowed excitedly. "Jûshirô's the 13th Division Captain and I'm 9th Division Captain!"

"That's nice," she raised her eyebrows and glanced at Ukitake. "Is that right?"

"Yes. He's correct. Yamamoto-sensei gave us the news this morning. We were going to wake you up, but things got…complicated."

"Complicated?" Kyoraku rolled his eyes. "Tatsu-chan being the 10th Division Captain? That's not complicated."

"Yes it is! The Unohana Family is known for their Healing Kidô. If Tatsumara is the Captain for the 10th Division then—"

"Unohana-san. May I have a word?" the door slid open and Genryûsai Yamamoto was waiting for her on the other side.

Tatsumara stood up slowly and quietly. She already knew what was going to happen behind those doors…

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**There! Done with Chapter one! Please Review!**

**Thanks TideDrop for giving me the ideas to start this story much more sooner than I thought! See you at school :D**

**01/16/08**


	2. The Sokyoku

Section One

Tatsumara stepped lightly into the room and sat down on the floor across from her teacher. Her parents were kneeling on both sides, both having faces that read quite clearly, pure anger.

"Unohana-san, these are the robes for your new position in the Soul Society," Genryûsai Yamamoto was sitting next to a folded white _haori_, the number 10 clearly written inside the rhombus.

"I don't understand why Tatsumara isn't in the 4th Division!" her father, a tall man with a large amount of respected authority, was leaning forward, glaring at Yamamoto.

"Unohana-san doesn't have the traits that will allow her into the Medicine Division. So I only did what was necessary—place her into a Division that suits her needs better."

"Our daughter has knowledge of the Healing Kidô! She _is _eligible—" he held up his hand for her mother to stop talking.

"Unohana-san showed great strength during our latest mission to the Real World. It is my belief that she will take good care of the Division that I assigned her too, and when the time comes, she can train other worthy shinigami to follow in her footsteps."

"_Strength_ is a weakness," her father threw his head up, scoffing at the very word.

"Strength is power in the Soul Society. Without it, we cannot hope to keep the balance in the Real World."

"No child of _mine_ will ever have such a weakness," he stood up and quickly walked out of the small room. Her mother followed suit, although she was a bit more graceful in her exit.

Tatsumara looked down at her hands shamefully, tears almost beginning to spill down her cheeks.

"I hope to see you at your new post next week. From now on, I will not be your mentor. I will be the Captain-Commander of the Soul Society. You are on your own now, Unohana-san." The man stood up and stepped out of the room, leaving the alone with her thoughts.

She stared at the robe in front of her. Several minutes passed before she lifted her hand and slowly reached out to touch the fabric.

Section Two

The group reached the Sokyoku grounds, the guards in white moved her up in front of the scaffold.

Glancing around once they released her, she took in the few Captains and Assistant Captains that had arrived to watch the Release…her _death_.

She narrowed her eyes at the Captain standing closest to her. She saw the corners of his mouth draw up as he laughed silently at her, the other Captains and Assistant Captains oblivious to his amusement.

"_Aizen_!" she snarled without bothering to lower her voice. She flew in a rage, throwing herself forward at the 5th Division Captain. But she was stopped once again. The guards who had escorted her to the grounds and seized her once more, using a binding Kidô spell.

"Tatsumara Unohana. Do you have any last wishes?" Yamamoto's words brought her out of her rage. She blinked once—then twice, and regained her proud posture.

"You know my wish," she replied coolly.

"Would you repeat it?" he asked.

"I want you to kill Aizen_-taicho_," she sneered.

"That wish is impossible to fulfill. Chose something else," the Captain-Commander of the Soul Society was having none of his pupil's smart talk.

Tatsumara's eyes darkened. She raised her head even higher, and glared at the Captains surrounding her.

"Nothing else." her voice rang clearly throughout the Soul Society.

"Then…Release the Sokyoku," Yamamoto ordered.

The Ceremony began. The three blocks that held her in place on top of the scaffold appeared and Tatsumara rose up higher and higher until she reached the full height of the Sokyoku as it rose as well.

She watched it burst into flames and turn into a giant flaming bird. But out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a flash of movement.

"_Yoriuchi Shihoun."_

The 'Flash Master' was standing at the edge of the forest surrounding the grounds. She was holding a sheathed katana under her arm. Another blur and then another shinigami was standing next to her. The green and white striped bucket hat was hard to miss...

"_Kisuke Urahara."_

The Former Captain of the 12th Division was twirling his cane/zanpaku-tô. If he was here, that meant that something was amiss.

The Sokyoku screeched once, it brought Tatsumara's attention back to her future death. Once glance at Yoriuchi and it had proved enough.

She was ready.

She glanced quickly down at Ukitake and Kyoraku. Kyoraku had his hat drawn over his eyes, in an effort not to see her execution. Ukitake was looking up at her with horror and sadness. Then her eyes flicked back to the impatient Sokyoku.

It would only attack if she was ready…if she accepted the fact that she would die.

And she didn't.

She wasn't ready to die, _just_ yet.

A single glare from the woman to the firebird finished the waiting time. She saw it move back into an attack formation.

_Now._

She glanced briefly at the shinigami below and then back at the Sokyoku.

_Aizen will not be allowed to go free. _She wouldn't allow it. _He _is_ a danger to the Soul Society._

Her eyes closed and she took in a deep, untroubled breath of air. It took only a few minutes this time; a few minutes for her to feel free…as light as air…all her troubles disappeared.

Section Three

Retsu Unohana glanced up at her sister. She mourned the time that she hadn't met her sister. Hadn't had time to speak with her. Hadn't had time to know more about her.

She looked up once more and watched as Tatsumara closed her eyes at the final attack of the Sokyoku.

Then she vanished before the Sokyoku hit. She watched as the bird finished up the job by flying around the scaffold before reverting back to its usual form. Once the giant blade touched the ground; it was covered with the protective seals once more.

The Captains of the Soul Society were returning back to their posts, there was nothing left to do on Sokyoku Hill.

Retsu followed the other Captains off the Hill, and turned her head to see that only Ukitake and Kyoraku remained on the hill at the base of the Sokyoku.

They both stood there for a few minutes longer before vanishing from her sight.

It was over.

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**No that's not the end of the story; the next chapter should cover the present timeline now.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Edited 01/25/08**


	3. Rogue Shinigami

**Chapter 3- Rogue Shinigami**

Section One:

Ichigo Kurosaki yawned and sat up quickly in his bed. He glanced around his room and then yawned again.

'_Good. No angry Hollows chasing after me. No stupid father to wake me up. No annoying stuffed lion trying to kill me. Renji's sitting on my chair…Wait. What?!'_

He whipped his head around to look once more. Yes. Renji was sitting on his desk chair…

"AAAAUUUUGGGGHHHHH!"

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!" he could dimly hear Renji screaming as well.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" he bellowed, jumping out of bed and pointing at the redhead shinigami.

"I'M SUPPOSED TO TAKE YOU TO THE SOUL SOCIETY. BUT THEN YOU WOULDN'T WAKE UP!" Renji shouted back.

"Wait. You were trying to wake me up?" Ichigo scratched his head. "I didn't feel anything."

"I threw everything possible at you! I even used Zabimaru! But, YOU WOULDN'T WAKE UP!!!"

"All right already. Stop shouting. What does the Soul Society need me for?" He rubbed his ear and rolled his eyes.

"Uhhh…right…I don't know."

"AUGH!" Ichigo did a faceplant on the floor.

"Ukitake-Taichou just told me to come over here and bring you back with me. He said it was very important."

"How important?" Ichigo looked up.

"I JUST TOLD YOU THAT I DON'T KNOW!"

Section Two:

"So, what you're saying is that there's a rogue shinigami running around?" Ichigo asked. Renji had brought him to the Soul Society as promised and brought him directly to the Captain's meeting.

"Unfortunately, a century ago, the Sokyoku was used on a Captain," Jûshirô Ukitake replied. "That Captain had large amount of Reiatsu, large enough to level an entire Division if released improperly."

"So what does this have to do with me?" he asked.

"The Captain in question vanished before the Sokyoku attacked. We have not worried about that fact because it posed no threat to the Soul Society," Genryûsai Yamamoto announced.

"Then what makes you think he's a problem now?"

"Ah. That's where you make your mistake, Kurosaki-kun," Shunsui Kyoraku lifted his hat up chuckled. "The Captain in question is a female shinigami."

Ichigo was lost for words.

"It seems that when she escaped the Sokyoku, she left the Seireitei. We weren't sure where in the Soul Society she was, but then just recently, one of the scanners in the World of the Living picked her Reiatsu up," Ukitake explained. "It was picked up around the time that Rukia Kuchiki lost her powers."

"What? You think Rukia—"

"We don't think Kuchiki-san did anything. But maybe that _she_ sensed the transfer of Shinigami powers and went to investigate. Since then, she's been sensed at your side."

"So…is she here?" Ichigo swiveled his head.

"No. It seems that she cannot enter the Soul Society anymore. She's not here at the moment—"

"_So you think."_

A voice chuckled. All of the Captains were alerted. Ukitake stood up quickly and glanced around, looking for the source of the voice.

"_Heh. You think you know everything? I warned you this would happen. I warned you."_

The ground began shaking, and for the first time since Byakuya Kuchiki had challenged him, Ichigo felt fear. The room shook quickly and violently; he could hear the shouts from shinigami outside the meeting room and rumbling in the distance.

"_I can very well enter the Soul Society and the World of the Living freely. I just never bothered to. I didn't _need _to. Until now."_

Her laughter resonated around the room. Ichigo saw Komamura stand and draw his large zanpaku-tô in defense.

"_Oh dear. Don't get _that_ excited over little ole' me. I'll return back to the World of the Living now. But be forewarned. I may return to get back what's rightfully mine."_

The shaking stopped, and the rumbling in the distance seized as well. Only now did Ichigo realize that the rumbling was actually the sound of thousands of buildings shaking.

Everyone in the room glanced at Yamamoto for orders. But the old Captain just sat there, silent.

"Genryusai-dono?" Komamura asked slowly. Then Ukitake took command.

"Kurosaki-san, please return back to your World. We'll send Kuchiki-san and Aburai-kun behind you," he ordered. "We need to keep an eye on her. Kurosaki-san, I suggest you keep an eye out as well. We'll contact Urahara-san and tell him the news."

Ichigo stood up and started to leave the room, unsatisfied with the meeting.

"Hey, Ukitake-taicho?" He saw the white haired Captain look up. "What's the shinigami's name?"

"Her name?" he didn't answer right away. He closed his eyes briefly, as if her name brought back painful memories.

"Her name is Tatsumara Unohana." A soft, but clear voice answered his question.

"Unohana-taicho?" Ukitake glanced behind him as Retsu Unohana made her way gracefully to the front.

Of all the times he had traveled to the Soul Society, Ichigo had never heard the 4th Division Captain speak quite that much. Though Hanataro kept telling him that she was wise and kind and allowed him days off from work.

"Thanks. Unohana-taicho," he turned and exited the room.

Section Three

Ichigo was laying flat on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. It was nighttime in Karakura Town, and the moon was shining brightly through his window.

Suddenly, out of the darkness he heard a soft sigh.

He sat up quickly and glanced around, trying to figure out who had sighed. He didn't see Rukia, Renji, or any of his family members around.

He sighed and flopped back down on the bed.

Then he remembered the conversation he had with the Captains of the Soul Society and bolted back up, his heart beating rapidly.

"Tatsumara Unohana?" he whispered into the darkness. The voice came again, but this time it came as a small chuckle.

_"What is it?"_

"So it is you. I'm not imagining things." He laid back again, laying his arms behind his head.

_"It depends on whether you think I'm imaginary or not."_

"Can anybody see you?" he asked, sitting up again.

_"Do you want to see me?"_ the question hung in the air.

"I think it'll help me think easier," Ichigo replied finally. "It's hard to talk to someone they can't see."

_"So true,"_ soft, ringing laughter spread throughout the room. _"For_ _that, I'll grant you the right to see me."_

"Thanks."

_"You should be glad. No person (or shinigami) has ever seen me for over a century."_

"So are you, an old lady?" he asked without thinking. More silence before she chuckled softly and dangerously.

_"Why don't we see about that?"_

Ichigo felt his arm being grasped, but as he looked, he could see nothing there.

He was dragged off his bed and lifted up into air, his feet dangling off the floor.

"Okay! Okay! Put me down!" he yelped. "I'm sorry for calling you old!"

She dropped him and he crashed down onto the ground. Ichigo groaned and sighed before glancing up at the invisible shinigami in front of him.

To his surprise, he could actually see a shinigami uniform forming in front of his eyes.

As his eyes traveled up, he could see the neatly wrapped shinigami robes, tightly tied white obi sash, and the katana strapped to her waist. He glanced up at her face, and noticed features that both she and the 4th Division Captain shared.

She had the same moon-shaped face, and the long black hair. Her hair was split the same way as the Captain's, her brown eyes glittering in the moonlight. The only differences were the placement of her hair and the smile on her face.

Her hair was long; it was long enough to hang over her shoulder and still reach past her waist. It flowed around her as she looked down at him, smirking.

"Was that too painful for you?" she mocked.

"N-no!" Ichigo stood up quickly, glaring at her. Not only did she follow him for almost a year, she also had the nerve to confuse him.

"You look like Unohana-taicho," he told her. "I believe you know who that is."

"I do," the older shinigami smiled as she towered over Ichigo. "She's my younger sister."

"And they executed you?" his voice shook with shock.

"Yes. They don't care about family relations there," She laughed.

"What are you following me around if you want revenge on the Soul Society?" Ichigo demanded. This caused the woman to smile.

"You'll get your explanation right now," she reached over and grasped his upper arm again.

"Hey! Let go!" he tried to yank himself out of her grip, but she easily picked up his substitute shinigami badge and forced his shinigami form out of his human body.

"Now that you're out. Let's take a trip to Urahara's shop," she turned and opened the window and stepped out onto the roof.

Ichigo glanced around at the darkness in his room, wondering whether to follow her or not.

"You're coming, don't think that you aren't," her voice called through the window.

He sighed and clamored out the window, glancing at his lifeless form on the bed.

* * *

**Edited 02-24-08**


End file.
